Author: staff
A night on a European cruise is taxed almost half as much as a night in a hotel despite their high environmental costs and contribution to overtourism, a new study has found. The NGO Transport & Environment (T&E) found that a loophole allows cruise liners to avoid paying VAT and fuel taxes, among other things. The organisation is calling for tax reforms to ensure that ships “pay their fair share”. Cruises have ‘same benefits as freight transport’ A night on a cruise ship is taxed 40% less than a hotel, the T&E study shows. That is despite their high environmental…
The political week starts with the shockwaves from the murder of Reform politician – Ann Widdecombe – which has put MPs’ security back in the spotlight. Sam Coates and Anne McElvoy have the latest on the police investigation, Nigel Farage’s response and the wider political fallout. It comes as the row over political party donations intensifies, with Reform arguing that the current safeguards aren’t strong enough. Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer enters his final week as Prime Minister, while his successor Andy Burnham faces another major test in front of the Parliamentary Labour Party. Plus, will the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood,…
Updated: 13/07/2026 – 9:18 GMT+2 Martin Heydon, Irish agriculture minister, speaks to Europe Today ahead of the EU ministers’ vote on the EU’s fertiliser plan, describing it as a “very decisive clear action to support farmers”. … More
“I think today [we need to] stay focused on what is already in the pipeline. So don’t look for any silver bullets, we already have plans — just implement them,” Maciej Witucki, president of BusinessEurope, told Euronews. “It’s important for businesses, but also it’s important to the citizens of Europe that they see the change.” In this episode of The Big Question, BusinessEurope’s new president, Maciej Witucki, joined Angela Barnes to discuss the challenges ahead and the need for strong international partners. What do European businesses need to thrive? Having spent the past 20 years leading companies in Poland and…
Europe is not an enlarged nation nor a community built on a single language, a single memory or a single historical experience. Its distinctiveness lies precisely in having built a common political project out of different histories, at times wounded, contradictory and even opposed. Perhaps the mistake has been to assume that a European identity can only grow out of what everyone shares equally. Political identities are not built solely on commonalities. They are also forged in the ability to recognise as one’s own what others contribute to the whole. Europe shares history, but does not always share the same…
POLITICO spoke to 17 current and former senior politicians and officials, most of whom have worked with Burnham and many granted anonymity to speak frankly, about what the new PM’s arrival will mean for Whitehall. Some warned that Burnham’s plans could spark a turf war not just between ministers and the civil service, but between civil servants themselves. ‘Slowed down’ Some of Burnham’s rhetoric may be hammed up — he has spent nine years as the left-wing mayor of Greater Manchester — but Burnham’s old friend Steve Rotheram insisted it is not “faux” frustration. “We have experienced time and again…
Published on 13/07/2026 – 8:01 GMT+2•Updated 8:12 On today’s show: Laila Humairah reports from Doha renewed US-Iran exchange of attacks as the war escalates. Angela Skujins breaks down the meeting of EU foreign ministers today and the main discussion to be discussed: sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Sandor Zsiros explains the chances of the Hungarian president being removed from office as the country’s parliament votes to amend the constitution. Interviews with Dan Jørgensen, EU Commissioner for Energy, Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, and Martin Heydon, Irish Minister for Agriculture. World Cup update…
A huge fire in a Bangkok bar killed at least 27 people and injured dozens, officials and witnesses said on Monday, the deadliest such incident in Thailand in almost two decades. People ran screaming out of the venue on the outskirts of the Thai capital on Sunday evening as flames shot out of the entrance, several with their clothing burned or ablaze, according to video verified by the AFP news agency. An AFP journalist saw several body bags on the ground early on Monday morning outside the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and restaurant. A few hours later, forensic…
Published on 13/07/2026 – 6:56 GMT+2•Updated 6:59 The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark, gained 3.9% to $78.96 per barrel, while the US benchmark crude oil price rose 4% to $74.26 per barrel. Prices for both types of crude oil had recently slipped back to the levels seen before the war with Iran began, after the two sides reached an interim agreement to end the conflict and ships resumed transporting oil through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the United States launched several waves of strikes on Iran early on Monday morning following an Iranian attack on a container ship…
Can transfers between travel destinations be turned into part of a trip? Rather than only visiting a country’s major cities and treating travel days as time lost between destinations, more holidaymakers are turning to sightseeing opportunities along the way by stopping in smaller cities and visiting unique landmarks. According to booking data from Daytrip, a platform specialising in city-to-city travel with car transfers, travellers are making the journey itself part of the holiday by stopping in places that may usually be overshadowed by larger and more popular destinations. Based on a survey of summer bookings made via the platform by…